Gas-engine-speed controller.



R. i BENJAMIN. I GAS-ENGINE SPEED CONTROLLER.

APPLICATION FIL ED FEB. 17 1912. I v

Patented Aug. 28, 19W,

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I GASENGINE SPEED CONTROLLER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 11. m2.

Patented Aug. 28, 191?.

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REUBEN B. BENJAMIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO BENJAMIN ELECTRICMFG. COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

GAS-ENGINE-SPEED CONTROLLER.

Application filed February 17, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, REpBEN B. BEN- JAMIN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, re-

siding at Chicago, in the county of Cook a and State of Illinois, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Gas-Engine-Speed Controllers, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description,reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in means for governing andcontrolling the speed of power supplying devices and particularlyexplosive engines.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide means for maintainingthe speed of an explosive engine constant and at the same timepermitting the speed at which the engine is intended to be run to bepredetermined or varied. In other words, one of the objects of myinvention is to provide means whereby the speed at which the engine isintended to be run may be changed and means whereby the speed may bemaintained constant at the speed to which it has been changed to run,the maintaining of the predetermined speed constant being brought aboutautomatically, while the predetermining of the speed is under the willof the operator.

Another object of my invention is to provide means whereby ignition maybe automatically varied in accordance with the speed of the engine; thatis, when the engine is running at a low speed the ignition will beautomatically retarded and as the speed of the engine increases theignition will be automatically advanced.

I have illustrated diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings twoembodiments of my invention. These embodiments are shown more or lessdiagrammatically, especially those parts of the automobile the 45construction of which is well known and well understood. In the drawingsFigure 1 illustrates one embodiment of my invention wherein theautomatic control is mechanical, while in Fig. 2 I have illustrated theautomatic control as being electrical.

Referring first to the embodiment illustrated in Fig. l, I haveillustrated at 1 a carburetor which may he of any well knownconstruction, and an ignition controller 2 Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Aug. 28, 1917..

Serial No. 678,429.

which also may be of any well known construction. The fuel supply valveof the carbureter is connected by a link or rod 3 with one end of alever 4 which is pivoted at 5 to a sliding pivot member 6. This slidingpivot member is connected by a link with a crank 8 formed on the end ofa rod 9 extending up through the hollow handle 10 of the steeringmechanism, and provided at its upper end Within the steering wheel 11with an operating handle 12. The opposite end of the lever 4: isbifurcated and these bifurcated ends fit over and are piv-.

otally connected to a sliding collar 13 of a 'end 13 of the lever 4 Inoperation, when the engine is at rest the fuel supply valve of thecarbureter is closed and the ignition controller is in a startingposition. To start the engine the handle 12 is moved to open the fuelsupply valve to the desired starting speed and the engine started in theordinary manner. As the speed of the engine picks up the ignition willbe advanced by the operation of the ball governor and the fuel supplyvalve will be left open at the point to maintain the desired speed aslong as this speed remains constant. If, however, the load conditionsvary, then the fuel supply valve will be opened or closed, in accordancewith the tendency of the engine-to run faster or slower than the desiredspeed, so that the fuel supply to the engine will be increased ordiminished to maintain the speed substantially constant.

Due to the fact that the pivotal point 5 of the lever 4 is movable, thelever may be manipulated to set the fuel supply valve at a point todeliver any required supply of fuel to the engine, whereby the speed maybe adjusted to a predetermined point. After the speed has thus beenadjusted to the predetermined point, the governor 14: will al- This ballgovernor is down; if the speed decreases below the predetermined point,then the fuel supply valve will be opened more widely to give anadditional amountof fuel to the engine, thereby increasing its speed. Itwill thus be seen that the predetermined speed will be maintainedconstant, and this speed will be ma intained constant irrespective ofthe load imposed upon the engine. If the load of the engine becomeslighter, then the engine will tend to race and the governor will immediately shut off or cut down the fuel supply. If the load on the engine beincreased, the speed of the engine will tend to drop and thegovernorwill act to increase the fuel supply','thereby maintaining the speed ofthe engine constant irrespective of its load.

In Fig. 2 I have illustrated electromagnetic means for governing theengine. In this figure the carburetor 1 and the ignition controller2-are illustrated diagrannnatically, as in Fig. 1. The fuel supply valveof the carbureter 1 is connected by a link or rod 3 with the centralportion of the lever 4, and the ignition controller 2 is connected bythe link or rod 16 with the lower end of the rod 41. The upper end ofthe rod 4 is pivotally connected with the sliding member 6 which isoperated in the same manner as described with respect to Fig. 1. Thelower end of the lever 4: is connected by a link 17 with the movablemember 18 of what I have termed a balanced electromagnet 19. This magnetcomprises a pair of stationary fields 20 and a movable armature 21-, thearmature, however, being not intended to make a complete rotation. Thearmature is provided with an extension 22 by which it is connected withthe link 17, and opposing the movement of the armature is a coiledspring 23 which tends to maintain the armature and the link 17 in normalposition. Driven from the engine is a dynamo 24, the brushes 25 of whichare connected with the brushes 26 of the armature 21. In operation, itwill be seen that the potential delivered by the dynamo 24 dependsdirectly upon the speed at which it is driven andtherefore upon thespeed of the engine. As the speed of the engine increases the potentialof the dynamo 24 will increase, whereby the armature 21 of the balancedelectromagnet will be caused to have a rotative tendency, which willmove the lever 4 to advance the spark and at the same time cause thislever to close the fuel supply valve, reducing the fuel supply. The restof the operation of this embodiment is substantially the same as thatdescribed with respect to Fig. 1.

While I have shown and described certain embodiments of my invention, itwill be Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with anexplosive engine, of a fuel controller, means for setting saidcontroller at different points for causing the engine to run atdifferent predetermined speeds, of an electromagnetic means forautomatically changing said controller to maintain the speed of theengine constant and means operating from the engine for supplying saidelectromagnetic means with electrical energy.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with amanually variable controller for predeterinin' the speed of an explosiveengine, of an e ectromagnet for automatically operating said controllerfor maintaining constant the predetermined speed, a dynamo for supplyingsaid electromagnet with electrical energy arranged to be driven at aspeed corresponding to the speed of theengine.

3. Ina device of the character described, the combination with amanually variable controller for predetermining the speed of anexplosive engine, of an electromagnet the operation of which dependsupon a variable potential, for automatically operating said controllerfor maintaining constant the predetermined speed, and an automaticelectric machine operated from the engine for supplying the variablepotential.

4. In a. device of the character described, the combination with a fuelsupply controller of an explosive engine, of an ignition timer, meanswithin the control of the operator for operating said controller to supply the engine with a predetermined fuel supply, and electromagneticmeans for operating said fuel supply controller to vary the fuel supplyin accordance with the load conditions of the engineto maintain thespeed constant and for operating said ignition timer to vary the time ofignition in accordance with the speed of the engine.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination with a fuelsupply controller for gas'engines, of a charge ignition timer, meanswithin the control of the operator for operating said fuel controller tofeed a predetermined charge to the engine, a balanced electromagnet forautomatically operating said fuel controller tovary the fuel supply inaccordance with variations in load conditions to maintain the speedconstant and for operating the ignition timer to vary the time of theignition in accordance with the speed of the engine.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination with a fuelsupply controller, of an ignition timer, means within the control of theoperator for operating said controller to feed to the engine apredetermined fuel supply, an electromagnet for automatically operatingsaid controller and ignition timer, and a dynamo for supplying currentto said electromagnet.

7. In a device of the character described, an explosive engine, meansfor regulating the fuel supplied thereto, means for varying the time ofignition, electromagnetic means controlled by the engine and responsiveto variations of speed thereof for controlling said regulating means andsaid varying means, and manually controlled means for controlling saidregulating means in conjunction with said automatic controlling means.

8. In a device of the character described, an explosive engine, meansfor regulating the fuel supplied thereto, means for varying the time ofignition, and electromagnetic governing means for said regulating meansand said varying means, whereby an increase in speed of the enginecauses an advance in the time of ignition and a reduction of the fuelsupply.

-9. In a device of the character described, an explosive engine, meansfor regulating the fuel supplied thereto, means for varying the time ofignition, and electromagnetic governing means common to said regulatingmeans and said varying means, whereby an increase in, speed of theengine causes an advance in the time of ignition and a reduction of thefuel supply.

10. In a device of the character described, an explosive engine, meansfor regulating the fuel supplied thereto, means for varying the time ofignition, electromagnetic governing means for said regulating means andsaid varying means, whereby an increase in speed of the engine causes anadvance in the time of ignition and a reduction of the fuel supply, andmanually controlled means for controlling said regulating means inconjunction with said governing means.

11. In a device of the character described, an explosive engine, meansfor regulating the fuel supplied thereto, means for varying the time ofignition, governing means comprising a movable member controlled by theengine and responsive in its movement to variations of speed thereof,connections between said member and said regulating means for actuatingsaid regulating means, and link connections between said member and saidvarying means.

12. Ina device of the character described, an explosive engine, meansfor regulating the fuel supplied thereto, means for varying the time ofignition, governing means comprising a lever controlled by the engineand responsive in its movement to variations of speed thereof,connections between said lever and said regulating means for actuatingsaid regulating means, and connections between said lever and saidvarying means.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presenceof two witnesses.

REUBEN B. BENJAMIN. Witnesses W. PERRY HAHN, MABEL REYNOLDS.

